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Samsung infringes four Apple patents, ITC judge rules

Samsung infringed four Apple patents, according to a ruling by U.S. International Trade Commission Judge Thomas Pender, Bloomberg reports. Among the infringements are a design patent for the front face of the iPhone, and another for touchscreen technology co-invented by Steve Jobs. The findings are subject to review by the trade commission, which should finish its investigation by Feb. 25. An import ban of certain Samsung products is a possibility.

The other two infringements from the ruling include a patent involving translucent images for applications displayed on a screen, and a patent that detects when a headset is plugged in. Wednesday’s patent news saw mixed results for Samsung, as the company won a Dutch court dispute, but was revealed to be the subject of an antitrust law investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. As Bloomberg notes, Samsung has been more successful against Apple outside of the U.S. In the U.K., Apple must run ads stating that Samsung has not copied the design of its iPad due to a recent appeal ruling.